Johann von Hiller

Johann von Hiller (13 October 1754-5 June 1819) was a Lieutenant General (Feldzeugmeister) of the Austrian Empire during the Second Russo-Turkish War, French Revolutionary Wars, and Napoleonic Wars.

Biography
Johann von Hiller was born in Reggio in present-day Italy, and in 1774 he joined a border regiment of the Austrian Empire after serving in the armies of Saxony and Wurttemberg. In 1778 he fought in the War of the Bavarian Succession and in 1787 he defended Croatia from the Ottoman Empire, gaining the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel as a reward a year later. In 1796 he commanded a battalion in the Army of the Rhine but ill health forced him to resign. He later rejoined the army in the War of the Second Coalition (1799-1800) and fought in the Second Battle of Zurich, where he distinguished himself after being wounded. In 1800 he was promoted to Feldmareschal-Lieutenant (Lt. General) and given command of Austrian forces in Croatia once more.

From 1801 to 1805 he commanded Austrian forces in Tyrol, north of Italy in the Austrian Alps. His district did not see any major action during the War of the Third Coalition in 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars and he was given command of an Austrian field army in 1806, while Austria was at peace with France. Hiller's army invaded Prussian-held Bavaria in early June 1806 during the brief war between Austria and Prussia but his army did not see any fighting, although the Prussians expected a large battle between Hiller and two Prussian armies under generals Louis Ferdinand of Prussia and Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia.

In 1809 Hiller fought in the War of the Fifth Coalition at the Battle of Abensberg, the Battle of Landshut, Battle of Eckmuhl, Battle of Neumarkt-Sankt Veit, Battle of Ebelsberg, Battle of Aspern-Essling, and Battle of Wagram. His command of the desperate Austrian defense of their right flank at Aspern-Essling was critical to the Austrian victory that day. He resigned after the war and became the commanding general of Croatia in 1809 and of Slavonia and Styria in 1811. In 1813 Hiller was dispatched to take command of the Austrian army in Italy and fought Eugene de Beauharnais, but his cautious operations prevented him from scoring a decisive victory and he was replaced by Heinrich von Bellegarde.